The present invention relates generally to a method for conducting a transaction between a merchant and a customer.
Many transactions in the retail and hospitality industries are conducted using point of sale (POS) terminals. Each POS terminal typically includes input devices (such as a keyboard, a scanner, a touch panel, etc.), sensors (such as a weighing machine, a radio frequency identification (RFID) sensor, etc.), output devices (such as a display, a printer, etc.), card readers, and various networking equipment.
In the hospitality industry, for example, restaurants, cafes and bars, a POS terminal may be integrated with wireless order-taking devices, which allow a customer or service personnel to input items that the customer wishes to order. The wireless order-taking devices are usually connected to other components of the same POS system via Wi-Fi. Orders which are taken are sent to the kitchen for preparation, as well as to the POS terminal where the customer can make payment when checking out. However, it has been noted that the process of checking out can be manual and cumbersome, and the customer may need to wait in line for his/her turn before making payment, or wait at the table while the payment is being processed and receipt printed.
In the retail industry, checking out a basket of goods can be similarly tedious, especially if vouchers, loyalty discounts, volume discounts, etc. are used. Furthermore, a customer routinely may not be aware of the promotional schemes that are available for his/her purchases.
Moreover, during the check-out process, customers typically have no chance to check their purchase line items in real-time. They can only verify their purchase after making the payment and getting a receipt from the merchant.
A need therefore exists to provide a method for conducting a transaction between a merchant and a customer that seeks to address at least some of the above problems.